Kinesiology, Vol. 32 No. 1, 2000.
Professional paper
The significance of pain in sport
Ludwig Prokop
; Professor Emeritus, Vienna, Austria
Abstract
Considering the contemporary significance of sport in the light of its particular purpose a reasonable classification of the term “pain” seems to be difficult for the time being. Sport can have a positive as well as a negative influence on pain and vice versa. The fact that pain is a symptom which an individual cannot fail to notice and hardly ignore establishes its biological meaning as a serious warning symptom which, regarding muscles and motivation, puts a decisive limit on the capability to practicing sport in general and on the high performance of the athlete in particular. Therefore the pain is not only a pathological symptom but a useful and therefore biologically necessary sensory instrument.
A very critical judgement by the doctor is required to establish the sense of the consequentially deducted claim for teaching the sportsman toughness, tolerance of pain and the conscious surmounting of the pain threshold, as it is frequently demanded by the coaches. The responsibility how to estimate pain and what conclusions for the sport activities of the athlete should be drawn rests on the doctor, the coach and also on the athlete himself. Anyhow, in the case of any doubt, sparing the athlete is always the better solution.
Keywords
pain, warning symptom, sport performance, pain tolerance, ethical issues
Hrčak ID:
256940
URI
Publication date:
30.4.2000.
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